


Home

by sixclawsdragon



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: 80s Music, Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Horses, Karaoke, M/M, Modern AU, Moving In Together, Visiting Family, featuring Mrs McCoy, jim is a fool, mechanic jim, scotty is also there but not a big way, who is done with these boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-11-03 22:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10976658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixclawsdragon/pseuds/sixclawsdragon
Summary: They meet in a diner, and somehow Jim has worked his way into Leonard's house and heart before he realizes it.





	1. Chapter 1

Leonard meets him in a diner. He's sitting at the counter with a cup of that cheap coffee they sell when Leonard takes the stool next to him and orders a burger.

When Janice, the waitress, lays it down in front of him, Leonard can hear the guy's stomach growling. It's then he takes a closer look at him.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just hungry." The guy looks down at his coffee like he wishes he could drown in it.

"Why don't you order something?" Not that it's any of Leonard's business.

"I, uh...don't get paid for a while. I just came for coffee." He turns on his stool, reaching for the backpack at his feet like he's about to leave, but Leonard slides his fry basket over to him.

"Eat that." He wouldn't get involved, but he can't just watch the guy walk away hungry like that. He's too nice for his own good sometimes.

The guy just stares at the basket for a second before shoveling fries into his mouth like he's afraid Leonard will take them away. Leonard raises an eyebrow, and the guy seems to realize what he's doing and slows down.

Leonard watches him eat while he finishes his burger. He's not bad looking, even if he isn't very well-dressed. Not that Leonard's looking, of course. He doesn't need to put himself through that mess again, not when he's just gotten back on his feet after the divorce.

"Thank you." The guy's voice breaks him out of his thoughts. "I can't really do anything to repay you, but...I guess if you ever need your lawn mowed or something...."

"You don't owe me anything." He gets up to head back to work, tossing Janice's tip on the counter as he goes.

~~~~~~~~~~

They run into each other again when Leonard's walking Joanna's dog in the park. She's with her mom, so even though she'd sworn up and down she would take care of the dog, it falls to him.

There's a guy in a leather jacket sitting on a bench with his head leaned back like he might be asleep. So of course the dumb dog goes straight for him as soon as Leonard takes off his leash.

"Hey! Get back here!" He chases after the dog and half-drags him off of the guy on the bench, who turns out to be Diner Guy. "Sparkles, down!"

"It's you! Fry Man!" He sits up and watches Leonard get Sparkles to sit. "Your dog's name is Sparkles?"

"No, he's my daughter's. She named him." Sparkles wags his tail happily at hearing his name, which is about the only word he knows.

"Didn't think I'd see you again. I'm Jim, by the way." Diner Guy-Jim smiles. "Um-I could walk your dog for you? To repay you for the fries."

"Yeah, okay." Leonard wouldn't agree, but Sparkles has a lot more energy than he does at the moment, and Jim seems to think he owes him, so why not?

He hands Jim the leash and sits down on the bench next to Jim's backpack. Sparkles pulls Jim away until he starts running with the dog. _At least someone is having fun._

As he watches this near-stranger playing with his daughter's dog, Leonard realizes he still hasn't introduced himself.

It's about an hour later when Jim brings Sparkles back to Leonard's bench. He's flushed and breathing heavily from running, but he's practically beaming, and it's kind of endearing.

"Thanks, kid. Oh, I'm Leonard. I didn't introduce myself earlier." He takes the end of Sparkles' leash back, and Jim sits down next to him,moving the backpack over.

"Well, Leonard, I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-four." Leonard just snorts when Jim crosses his arms.

"Yeah, well, I'm thirty, so you're a kid." Jim just smirks.

"Whatever you say, old man." They sit there for a while, chatting, until Leonard has to leave if he wants to be home before it gets too dark.

"You should probably head home too." Sparkles licks Jim's hand one last time as Leonard pulls him away.

"I will, I...live nearby. See you around, maybe." Leonard nods and heads off, the tags on Sparkles' collar jingling as they walk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a week later, and Leonard is on his way to pick Joanna up from school. Traffic is good enough that he's parked outside a little before school actually ends.

He's just leaning back in his seat, watching people pass by when he notices someone limping slightly. His doctor's mindset won't let him look away, and he realizes as he tries to diagnose from afar that the man he's watching is Jim.

He rolls down the truck's window and leans out, since it's someone he knows.

"Jim!" Jim looks around for a moment before spotting him. Leonard waves him over, and he comes to stand outside the window.

"Hey, it's Leonard. No Sparkles today?" He looks into the backseat.

"Nah, I'm picking up my daughter." Leonard nods at the school. "But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. You're limping."

"I'm not, it's just-"

"Don't lie to me, kid, I'm a doctor." Leonard rolls his eyes. "Get in the truck and let me look at it."

"Getting in a car with a stranger? I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they tell you _not_ to do." But Jim walks around to the passenger door anyway.

"Like you've ever listened to what people say not to do." Leonard unlocks the truck and Jim climbs in, throwing his backpack into the floorboard.

"Aw, you know me so well already." He hesitates before laying his leg across Leonard's lap. "Here you go, sawbones."

"Don't call me that." Leonard pulls the leg of Jim's worn jeans up a little to look at his ankle.

"Just Bones, then." Jim winces when Leonard moves his ankle gently. Leonard ignores the nickname.

"It's just a minor sprain, but it'll take two to four weeks to fully heal. You should try to rest it." He tugs Jim's pant leg back into place and Jim pulls his leg away as Leonard glances at the holes in the knees of his jeans.

"I don't really have time to rest, but thanks for looking." He looks down at his hands in his lap.

"What'd you do to hurt it, anyway, if you don't mind my askin'?" Leonard doesn't look at him, just keeps watching the front door of the school.

"Fell working in the rail yard." The school bell rings, and Jim looks startled. "Sorry for taking up your time, I'll get out so you can take your daughter home."

"Mind if I drive you wherever you were headed? It'll help the ankle if you don't have to walk." Leonard asks without thinking, and then wonders why he's so willing to go out of his way for this guy.

"Is the park we met in last week fine? I can manage from there." Leonard nods, and Jim smiles. "Thanks, Bones."

"Quit calling me that and put your seatbelt on. There's Joanna." Jim buckles up, and Joanna hops in the backseat.

"Hi, Daddy. Who's that?" Leonard has to think for a minute to decide what to call...this.

"This is my friend, Jim." They're friends, right? At least sort of, probably. "I'm giving him a ride home because he sprained his ankle."

"Okay." She sits back, satisfied with his answer, and Leonard turns back to Jim. "Jim, this is my daughter Joanna."

"It's nice to meet you. I like your backpack." He points to the cartoonish horses on it and grins. "Good choice."

"I like horses, but daddy says we don't get to go see them a lot because I hafta go to school." Leonard smiles and shakes his head as he backs out of the parking space. Jim doesn't even realize what he's started, because Joanna _really_ likes horses, and she talks about them the whole way to the park.

"This is my stop," Jim says when Leonard pulls up. "It was great talking to you, Joanna. I hope you get to see some horses soon."

"Bye, Mister Jim!" She waves as he steps down out of the truck and slings his backpack over one shoulder.

"Thanks for the ride. I owe you one again, I guess." He closes the door and walks off before Leonard can tell him he doesn't expect anything in return.

~~~~~~~~~

Leonard's at the grocery store getting ready to barbecue. He's got a cart full of steaks and sides like asparagus to grill. He'd promised Joanna he'd get her some pretzels while he was there, since they're out, so he heads to the chip aisle.

Which is where he finds Jim, standing there with a bag of Cheetos in his hand.

"Hey, stranger." Jim grins when he sees Leonard.

"Hey." He looks around to see if Jim's got a car somewhere, but it's just the chip bag in his hand. He nods at it. "That all you're gettin'?"

"Oh. I'm...between paychecks, I just came for a snack." His stomach growls and he winces at the loud noise.

Leonard thinks about when they met at the diner, and how Jim ate those fries, and he knows he can't let Jim leave with his Cheetos.

"You like steak?" Jim seems surprised by the question, but Leonard continues. "I'm gonna barbecue, you wanna come over?"

Jim starts to say no, but his stomach rumbles again and he laughs.

"I guess I've been overruled." Leonard smiles as Jim puts the Cheetos back on the shelf.

"Alright, let's grab another steak and we'll go."

Joanna doesn't mind Jim coming home with him, in fact she beams when he follows Leonard in.

"Mister Jim!" She hops up from the couch and runs to talk to him while Leonard takes the food to the kitchen. Sparkles follows him, smelling the steaks.

He's got everything set out on the counter when Joanna practically skips into the kitchen holding Jim's hand.

"Daddy, guess what? Jim says I don't hafta call him mister!" Jim shrugs, and Leonard smiles.

"That's great, Jo. Are you and Jim gonna help me cook?" She shakes her head.

"No." Jim looks so surprised Leonard almost laughs. "We're gonna go play horses!"

"Have fun, then." He waves as she drags Jim away.

Leonard starts a fire in the grill and lets it burn for a bit before throwing the steaks on. He's aiming for medium-rare, so they don't stay on long. He sets a timer and heads inside to prepare the asparagus to go on after the steaks.

When he's done, his timer says the steaks will be ready in about five minutes, so he goes to tell Jim and Joanna.

He finds them in Joanna's room, Jim down on all fours with Joanna sitting on his back, his leather jacket on the floor by the doorway.

"Dinner's almost ready, if you two aren't too busy." He leans against the doorframe and raises an eyebrow.

"I'm a horse." Jim shrugs as well as one can with a seven year old girl on their back, and Leonard smiles in fond amusement.

"Well, even horses need to eat. The steaks are about ready, and then I'll do the asparagus right before we eat." Joanna leans forward as Jim stands up, turning the horse ride into a piggyback ride. Leonard grabs his jacket for him.

They make their way outside, Joanna urging Jim to go faster, and Leonard takes the steaks off the fire. Jim just stares at the platter for a minute or two.

"What's the matter, you don't like 'em that rare? I'll cook yours a while longer if you want." Leonard's about to put the asparagus on, but he waits for Jim to answer.

"No, no...it's perfect. Sorry, I guess I just got distracted." Leonard shrugs and starts on the asparagus. But it does get him thinking about the way Jim reacts to food.

When the asparagus is ready and they're all inside and sitting at the table, Jim cuts into his steak and starts wolfing it down before Leonard can even put the empty platter back on the table.

"Woah, slow down there. You'll make yourself sick if you eat like that." Jim lowers his fork and chews what's in his mouth more slowly.

"Sorry, habit." He looks kind of embarrassed, but Leonard just smiles gently.

"I'll keep cooking until you're full, so there's no need to rush." There's plenty of food in his kitchen, and with the way Jim always seems hungry, he'd be happy to fix him something else. It worries him, knowing Jim's probably been living on stuff like cheap coffee and chips.

"Thanks." It's quiet, but there's a smile creeping onto Jim's face, and he starts making conversation while they eat. They talk about Leonard's job at the hospital, and Jim tells stories of different odd jobs he's done while Sparkles sits beneath the table and waits for someone to drop something. Leonard pretends not to notice when Jim slips the dog some scraps.

Jim says he's full when he finishes his steak, but Leonard gives him some stuff to take home anyway.

"Can I drive you home? It's pretty late, and it's dark out." Jim hesitates, but not for very long. It seems like he's doing less of that when Leonard offers now.

"You can just drop me at the park again." Leonard agrees, and they go out to the truck, accompanied by Joanna and two of her stuffed horses.

Leonard stops in the same spot as last time to let Jim out. Joanna waves at him.

"Come play with me again, okay?" She hugs her stuffed animals.

"You got it, Joanna." He grins and winks before turning back to Leonard.

"Thanks for dinner, it was great." He hops down and pulls his backpack out of the floorboard. "Good night, Bones."

"Night." Leonard thinks about Jim the whole way home. Things have added up, and he doesn't like the picture they make. If this is going to continue, he and Jim need to talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He wants to see Jim again, but without any way of contacting him, Leonard just drives by the park as often as he can justify it to himself, looking for him.

He finds him, after a week of trying, on the swing set. Leonard parks the truck and gets out, taking a deep breath before heading towards Jim.

"Hey." Jim looks up in surprise.

"Bones. What're you doing here?" Leonard sighs and sits down on the empty swing next to Jim.

"Looking for you, actually." Jim tilts his head, waiting for Leonard to explain.

"I wanted to talk to you, and since you won't tell me where you actually live...." Jim's hands tighten around the chains of the swing, but he doesn't look away. "Here I am."

"Well, you found me!" He says with feigned cheerfulness. "Nice job. Did you need someone to walk Sparkles, or-"

"Jim." Leonard cuts off Jim's attempt to change the subject. "I'm worried about you."

"Thanks, Bones, but I'm fine." Leonard frowns.

"Don't lie to me, kid, I've seen the way you eat when I'm not feeding you." Jim opens his mouth but Leonard continues. "I've known you for a month now, and I've only seen you wear like three shirts."

"Bones...." Jim glances down at his shirt, frowning.

"You only ever let me drop you off here. Jim," Leonard pauses, but there's not gonna be an easy way to do this, so he just comes right out and says it. "You don't have a place to live, do you?"

There's a long pause, Jim's feet kicking idly at the dirt below the swing as he refuses to look at Leonard. Finally he sighs, and it's like he's been defeated somehow.

"No." He looks up at Leonard. "But it doesn't matter, I'm fine."

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Leonard says rather than argue that.

"If you don't want me to come over again, I understa-" Jim's looking down again when Leonard interrupts.

"I was gonna ask you to move in with me, you idiot." Jim's head shoots up, and he looks stunned.

"You really want–but why?" 

"We're friends, aren't we? And I have a guest bedroom, but god knows I never have guests." His voice softens. "It's yours if you want it."

Instead of answering, Jim practically launches himself off the swing to hug Leonard, who is completely unprepared. They both fall backwards off the swing, Jim landing on top of Leonard.

"Jesus, kid, a simple 'yes' would've worked." But he smiles and wraps his arms around Jim.

"Sorry." But he doesn't get up, and they stay like that for a minute, sprawled on the ground. Leonard finds himself looking into Jim's very blue eyes, Jim looking back.

He's suddenly aware of how close their faces are, and it almost seems like Jim's leaning closer–but then he rolls off of Leonard and sits up, and the moment is gone.

"Let's go home, then." Leonard sits up. _Home_. Jim's grinning like it's his birthday as they get in the truck.

It doesn't take much explaining to tell Joanna when they get there.

"Jim's gonna live with us now." Leonard says when they walk in and sit down.

"Does that mean I have to do what he says?" She looks up from the coloring book she's working on.

"'Fraid so, Jojo." She pouts for a moment, but goes back to coloring.

"I guess that's okay. I like Jim." Leonard laughs.

"I like Jim too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna wait a little longer to upload this one, but I'm too excited, so here it is!

Jim tries to pay rent, but Leonard won't take his money, just tells him to help out with household chores. Jim moved in on a Thursday, and that Sunday he and Leonard drop Joanna off at her mom's house for the next few weeks.

Even though Leonard's doing a lot better for himself than he was just after the divorce, when he was drowning his misery in alcohol, the custody agreement is still only 75% to 25%, in his ex-wife's favor. So she gets Joanna three weeks for every one Leonard has her.

With Joanna gone, the house feels quieter. More empty. Jim watches Leonard make lunch, chopping vegetables when prompted.

"What do you do when she's not here?" Jim reaches up to wipe his eye after chopping onions, but thinks better of it and uses his sleeve instead.

"Work. Eat. Sleep." Leonard shrugs, and doesn't add 'miss her' to his list. He turns around to get the chopped onions from Jim and finds him pressing his sleeve to his eye, still holding the knife. "Put that down before you hurt yourself."

When they finish lunch and sit down to eat, they're silent for a few long minutes.

"So I was thinking," Jim starts, swallowing the food that was in his mouth before continuing. "Since I'm living here now, maybe I should try to get a real job."

"Alright. Let me know if you need any help." Leonard says, and Jim smiles. "Where're you gonna apply?"

"I was thinking about the repair shop near the hospital. I don't exactly have a great resume or anything, but I can fix cars." He shrugs and takes another bite of his lunch.

"Why didn't you mention that sooner? The truck's been makin' a weird noise lately, you think you could take a look at it?" Jim perks right up, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"Of course. I gotta pay you back for all this somehow." He shovels the last few bites of food into his mouth and stands up before Leonard can remind him again that he doesn't owe him anything. "Let's go look at it now."

"Woah, woah, sit back down. I'm not done yet, and you need to put your dishes in the sink." Jim pouts exaggeratedly but takes his plate to the kitchen.

"Rinse that!" Leonard calls after him.

"Yes, mooom."

~~~~~~~~~

Jim's practically humming with excitement when they finally go out to look at the truck. Leonard describes the problem (“a weird squealing noise") and Jim pops the hood and gets to work.

He checks over everything briefly before looking up at Leonard.

"Start it for me?" He nods and gets in, turning the key in the ignition. The noise starts up almost immediately. Jim waves at him, and he turns it off and gets out to talk to him.

"You just need a new serpentine belt. Lucky for you, you don't need to remove the engine mount to change it. I can do it for you if we can get the replacement." He wipes his hands on his jeans.

"Well, kid, if I were the owner of the repair shop, I'd hire you." It's impressive how fast he'd diagnosed the problem.

"Thanks, Bones." Jim grins and closes the hood. "Hey, if they aren't impressed by my skills, I can always dazzle them with my charming smile."

"You wish." Leonard turns away from that (admittedly kind of dazzling) smile so Jim won't see that he's smiling in spite of himself. "Let's go back inside."

~~~~~~~~~

Jim applies for the mechanic job, and immediately hits it off with the shop's owner, a man who goes by Scotty. At his interview they get completely off-topic and spend half an hour talking about motorcycles before Scotty happens to glance at the clock and decide the interview is over. Needless to say, Jim's hired.

"Bones!" Jim starts talking as soon as he steps through the door. "I got the job!"

"That's great, Jim." Leonard smiles at him from his place on the couch. Jim's beaming and he's irrationally proud.

"Tonight," Jim proclaims, plopping down next to him. "We celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Leonard raises an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"We're going out. I know just the place." He looks at Leonard, sensing his hesitation. "Please, Bones? It'll be fun."

"Alright, alright. Get those puppy dog eyes away from me." He pushes Jim's shoulder.

"Great! We can leave at seven." 

~~~~~~~~

Seven comes, and Jim's out the door ahead of Leonard, waiting on the porch while he locks up, and then they're in the truck and Jim puts a destination into the GPS on Leonard's phone. And they're off.

Leonard groans when he's finally parked and Jim's ready to hop out.

"Karaoke? You didn't warn me about this." He frowns at Jim, but Jim's giving him those eyes again, and he can't bring himself to say no. "I'll go in, but no promises on singing."

"Good enough." Jim's made a reservation, it turns out. Leonard has no idea how, since he doesn't have a cell phone, but they've got a room under the name Bones.

They order drinks while Jim flips through the binder of available songs. Leonard sits next to him on the couch and reads over his shoulder.

"Found it!" Jim suddenly jabs a finger at the page and jumps up to enter the number of the song he wants.

It's not Leonard's kind of music, but Jim's clearly enjoying it. There's a long intro before he starts rapping lyrics that don't seem to make any sense. He's bouncing on the balls of his feet and gesturing for emphasis as the song starts talking about space. ( _"Another dimension, new galaxy. Intergalactic, planetary!"_ )

When the song ends Jim nods at the binder in Leonard's lap.

"Your turn." Leonard isn't about to be the one to ruin Jim's fun (they are supposed to be celebrating his new job, after all), so he skims through the section labeled country/bluegrass and picks something.

Jim enters the number for him, and starts giggling when the song starts with a banjo. He manages to stop just in time for Leonard to stop scowling at him and start singing.

The song suits him, in a way. It's bluegrass, and not exactly upbeat; the lyrics are about memories of the past ( _"and none of them are kind"_ ). He sits down again when he's done, crossing his arms.

"Not that that wasn't great, but your taste in music is kinda depressing, Bones." Jim sits next to him again and pulls the binder into his lap, flipping through the different tabs labeled with various genres.

"Oh, here we go." He turns the page to the section marked 80s, stopping on the first page to hop up and start a new song.

Leonard's only known the guy for around five weeks, but even now he knows how perfect Jim's song choice is.

"I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation!" Jim dances around and puts one foot up on the table dramatically, rattling their drinks dangerously. Leonard just shakes his head in fond exasperation.

This 'celebration' is the happiest he's seen Jim since they met, and he finds he likes it. Jim insists Leonard do another song, so he just waves a hand at the binder and tells Jim to choose for him.

He ends up with 'Come On Eileen.' By now he's starting to enjoy this, and Jim adds to the fun by singing backup where he can.

"You're not half bad, Bonesy." Jim nudges him when they finish.

"Please never say that again. If you have to call me that, just stick to Bones." 

"I knew you liked my nickname." Jim puts on an innocent smile, and Leonard realizes he's just given him permission to keep using the name.

"Brat." He smacks Jim's arm lightly with the song binder, and Jim takes it from him again. They do a few more songs each, but their time in the room is running out.

"Let's do one together this time," Jim, punching in the number for a new song. He pulls Leonard up off the couch. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Leonard misses the first line, the song starts so quickly. 'We Built This City.' Jim must really like eighties music, he decides.

They alternate lines until they get to the chorus, where they sing together. It's the most fun Leonard's had in awhile. When they finish, an employee knocks on the door to tell them their time is up.

They sing along to the radio on the drive home, laughing and smiling.

~~~~~~~

It turns out that Jim's new job is well worth the celebrating they did. He loves it. Scotty's a great boss, and he enjoys what he's doing.

When he can, he buys something small, like donuts, and walks over to surprise Leonard at the hospital. He gets odd looks in the beginning, standing there covered in grease holding a paper bag, but soon enough he's chatting with the staff like they've known each other their whole lives.

Leonard appreciates it more than he lets on. It's been awhile since someone did little things like this for him, and he hadn't realized he missed it until Jim came along. It’s nice.

Joanna insists they both come to her school play, where she’s Tree Number 4 (a very important role, of course). Leonard lends Jim a nicer shirt to wear, since all of his are old t-shirts.

“We really need to go shopping,” He says, straightening Jim’s collar, but really he’s admiring Jim in his clothes. And if he stares a little too long, Jim doesn't seem to notice.

They’re seated in the school auditorium early, since Joanna needed to be there thirty minutes before they started. Jim’s watching other parents find seats, but Leonard is watching Jim.

“Is that a teacher? He's pretty hot.” Jim murmurs appreciatively, but Leonard’s so distracted he doesn't quite hear him.

“Huh?” Jim turns to look at him, nodding at the man over by the wall.

“Over there, with the tie. He's cute, right?” Leonard hardly even pretends to look, just gives a noncommittal hum. He's a little busy rejoicing internally about Jim apparently liking men.

He pulls his focus away from Jim when the show starts, and waves when he sees Joanna looking at him.

“That was great, Jo!” Jim picks her up as soon as she comes running out to them afterwards. “Best tree I've ever seen. You were the star.”

“I didn't even have any lines, Jim.” But she laughs when he puts her on his shoulders as they walk out to the truck, and Leonard just watches and smiles.

~~~~~~~

Jim walks into a family meeting when he comes home one day.

“What are you two plotting?” He slings his backpack onto the couch and throws himself down next to it, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

“Jo’s been askin’ to go see her grandma and the horses, and since I haver the whole week for spring break, I was thinking we could go next week, spend a few days there.” Leonard shoves Jim’s feet off the table as he talks. “You’re invited, of course.”

“Really? I’d love to come. I wanna meet your mom, I’ve been wondering what you were like when you were a kid.” Jim grins, and Leonard barely resists the urge to sigh.

“I changed my mind, I don’t need you to enable her. She gets her box of pictures out every chance she gets.”

“Really? Great, I want to know if you were always this grumpy.” He leans over to poke at Leonard’s cheek. “I hope you smiled more as a kid than you do now.”

Leonard swats his hand away and stands up. “Go pack, you infant. You too, Joanna.”

~~~~~~~

“Are we there yet?” Jim slouches in the passenger seat, and Leonard rolls his eyes.

“Does it look like we’re there yet?” Joanna giggles in the back, knowing they're not too far away.

“Daddy says you hafta be patient on long car rides. But you can borrow my book if you want.” She holds out a book with two fairies on the cover, and Jim turns around to take it from her.

“Thanks, Jo.” He looks at the title (Twinkle and Flower go to the Fair) and shrugs. “Looks pretty interesting.”

It's not a long book, and it doesn't keep him occupied long. But apparently he has some questions.

“But does Twinkle get her hat back? C’mon, I gotta know!” He’s turned around in his seat to look at her.

“You have to read the next book, I can't tell you!” She takes her book back and puts in her backpack.

“Tell me you have the next one.”

“Nope.” She shakes her head and laughs when Jim groans.

“I’m never gonna find out what happens.” He turns back around and crosses his arms, sulking for a moment before slouching again.

Sparkles, who’s been lying in the back seat next to Joanna, climbs into the front and settles into Jim’s lap at some point. Forced to stay still, it doesn't take long for Jim to fall asleep with the added warmth.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” Leonard shakes his shoulder. They're parked out behind the house, and Jim’s slept through the rest of the journey.

“Nnh?” He blinks sleepily for a minute before focusing. “Y’know, I think sleeping beauty is supposed to get a kiss, not a rude nudge.”

“Alright.” Leonard smirks. “Sparkles!” He makes kissy noises and the dog jumps up and starts licking Jim’s face.

“Len! Get out here and give your momma a hug.” Jim pushes Sparkles away from his face, scratching him behind the ears to keep him happy. Now that he can see, there's a woman standing in front of the truck with her hands on her hips, beaming at Leonard.

“Comin’, Momma.” He smiles and gets out of the truck, Joanna opening her door and hopping down to follow him. Jim opens his own door and lets Sparkles jump down from his lap before getting out himself.

He hangs back while they greet each other, until Leonard looks back at him and waves him over.

“Come on, get in here.” Jim does, and Leonard’s mother hugs him too.

“I’m Caroline McCoy, and you must be Jim. I've heard a lot about you.” She holds him out at arm’s length, looking over him.

“Good things, I hope.” He smiles politely and glances at Leonard, who just shrugs.

“You need to eat more, young man. It's a good thing Len brought you to me.” She pats him on the shoulder before releasing him. “Get your stuff and come inside, I’ve already started dinner.”

“I’ll help you when we get unloaded.” Leonard promises, and they turn back to the truck as Caroline heads inside. 

~~~~~~~

Jim gets a guided tour of the house from Joanna while Leonard and Caroline are busy in the kitchen.

“And tomorrow you can meet the horses!” She finishes her tour in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Sounds like fun.” Jim leans against the doorframe and watches Leonard chopping vegetables. Caroline puts a bowl in his hands before turning back to what’s on the stove.

“Stir that for me, would you, dear.” Jim does what he's told, and she keeps talking.

“Have you ever been riding?” He shakes his head before realizing she can't see him.

“No. I mean, no, ma'am.” He tries to be polite.

“That's no problem, I'm sure Len’d love to teach you how.” Jim grins at Leonard.

“I’m looking forward to it, _Len._ ” Leonard rolls his eyes.

“Don't you start. One nickname is enough.”

~~~~~~~

They get dinner on the table pretty quick with so many hands working. Even Joanna helps (though she steals a bite here and there while they cook). Jim’s sitting between Leonard and Caroline, and she keeps offering him more every time he empties his plate. Finally, he has to stop her.

“Everything is really great, Mrs. McCoy, but I think if I eat any more, I’ll explode.” She smiles and sets the bowl of mashed potatoes she’d been holding out to him back on the table.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, but call me Caroline. You’re practically family, sugar.”

“I am?” He’s not sure why, they only just met.

“Of course. You’re dating my son, aren’t you?” Jim and Leonard start trying to correct her, speaking over each other in their scramble.

“-just a friend.”

“-lets me stay-”

“-not like that.”

Caroline holds up a hand to silence them.

“Alright, I get it. You’re not dating.” She smiles at Jim. “But you’re still welcome to call me Caroline.”

Joanna giggles, trying to hide it behind a hand. Leonard still looks flustered, and Jim’s sure his heartbeat is loud enough for them to hear.

~~~~~~~

Jim sleeps in a guest room that night. Leonard’s in his old bedroom, and Joanna has his sister’s old room. It's a nice room, he decides laying in the dark as he falls asleep. But after that nice dinner with everyone, it feels a little lonely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horses and good Southern food are just what Jim needs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's left comments and kudos! Sorry this one took so long.

Jim wakes up the next morning to Joanna and Sparkles at the foot of his bed, Sparkles barking at him.

“Wake up, Jim! It's already seven, breakfast is ready!” Joanna doesn't want for him to wake up enough to answer, just runs out into the hall when he sits up, Sparkles following.

“It’s way too early for this.” He lets himself fall back into his pillow, laying there for a moment before he rolls out of bed to get dressed.

He can smell bacon before he even gets to the kitchen. Caroline greets him with a plate stacked with pancakes when he walks in.

“Put that on the table, and I'll be right out.” The kettle on the stove starts whistling, and she turns back to her kitchen.

Leonard and Joanna are already sitting at the table when he sets the pancakes down.

“Mornin’. Get enough sleep?” Leonard grins in a way that tells Jim he was the one to send Joanna to wake him.

“Why is everyone up so early? I thought this was a vacation.” He pulls out his chair and sits down.

“You want breakfast, you eat on Momma’s schedule.” Leonard shrugs.

“I need my beauty rest.” Jim puts the back of a hand to his forehead, pretending to be upset.

“Shame it ain't doin’ you any good,” Leonard says, making Joanna laugh.

“Hey!” Jim turns in his seat to face him. “You're just jealous because I'm prettier than you.”

“Yeah, right-” Leonard doesn't get to finish that thought, because Caroline walks in with a pan of biscuits, and Jim turns back to face the table.

“Caroliiiine, your son’s being mean to me.” Jim whines, mock-pouting.

“Len, stop teasing my guest.” She smiles at him in spite of her words before sitting down. “Everything's on the table, let's eat.”

Breakfast is just as good as dinner was, but Jim stops himself before he's too full this time. Afterwards, he and Leonard wash the dishes while Joanna dries them.

“Now what?” Jim asks when the last plate is put away.

“Horses!” Joanna cheers, and Leonard nods.

“Yep. We haven't been up here in awhile, I bet they’ve missed us. We'll go spend some time with ‘em, and I’ll teach you how to ride.” He's looking forward to showing Jim something important to him.

“Okay. Do I need to change or anything?” Jim looks down at his NASA shirt and ripped jeans.

“No, that’ll be fine. We’ll find you some boots, though.” Leonard and Joanna are dressed similarly to him. “Don't be too nervous, I'm sure they’ll like you.”

They dig an old pair of boots out of a closet for Jim and head outside, past a gate, to the barnyard. An old orange cat lays on the ground in front of a shed and flicks its tail at them.

“That's Basketball.” Joanna points at the cat, who doesn't acknowledge their presence.

“That's an interesting name.” Jim’s looking at her for the story behind that, but it's Leonard who speaks.

“I named him when I was a kid.”

“And you picked Basketball?” Jim tilts his head.

“He's orange.” Leonard shrugs. “And I wanted to be a pro back then.”

“Seriously? I can't imagine you playing basketball.” Jim laughs.

“Hey, I'll have you know I was pretty good.”

“Prove it.” He challenges, grinning.

“Alright, I will. There's a hoop over the garage door, we’ll play later. Just don't come cryin’ to me when you lose.” But for now, the focus is on riding. They've reached the stable, and Joanna’s already unlatched the door for them.

“Hurry up!” She bounces impatiently, and Jim laughs.

“We’re coming.” It takes his eyes a second to adjust when they step inside, but he counts three horses: one grey, one black, and one reddish-brown.

“Jim,” Leonard gestures to each horse as he names them. “This is Quigley, Milky Way, and Strawberry Lemonade.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” He nods at the horses, and Joanna giggles.

“Now, since you're a beginner, you can work with Quigley. He was my dad’s.” Leonard continues, walking over to Quigley’s stall. Jim follows, and Joanna goes to pet Strawberry Lemonade.

“C’mere, let him smell you.” Leonard pats the horse’s neck and puts a hand on the small of Jim’s back, guiding him closer. Jim hesitantly reaches out to pet Quigley, and Leonard smiles.

“Here.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of peppermints. “You can give him one of these. Hold your hand out flat, and he’ll take it.”

Jim does, and Leonard watches him feed Quigley two or three mints before moving on. Jim steps back and watches him tack up. He helps Joanna with Strawberry Lemonade while he’s at it, since she’s not tall enough to get the saddle on by herself.

“Sorry, Milky Way. I'll be back for you tomorrow.” He nods at his horse, who ignores him in favor of a bale of hay.

“After you.” Leonard nods for Jim to head out into the pasture, and he follows, leading Quigley. There’s a stepstool set up by the fence, and he stops when the horse is next to it.

“Alright, you can come over here. He won’t bite.” Jim’s standing a good ten feet away, and Leonard beckons him closer, smiling.

“Stand on that.” He nods at the stool. “You’re gonna put your left foot in the stirrup, and swing your right leg over. Don’t kick him, and don’t let your foot go through the stirrup.”

Jim nods and looks at Quigley for a moment before stepping up and getting on. He grinned at Leonard when he was sitting in the saddle.

“That wasn’t too hard. What next?” Joanna passes by on Strawberry Lemonade, waving. Leonard waves back before turning back to Jim for instructions.

“Sit up, but keep your back rounded slightly. I’ll lead you around first so you can get a feel for it.” He leads Quigley in a slow circle around the pasture, watching Jim out of the corner of his eye. When they’ve gone far enough, he stops and hands the reins up to Jim.

“Hold that in your left hand. Tell him where you want to go by touching the reins to his neck like you’re pushing in the direction you’re trying to go. Squeeze your legs a little to tell him to start moving, gently.” Jim nods, and Leonard adds one more thing. “He won’t go too fast without you telling him to, so you’re gonna be fine. I’ll walk with you.”

Jim starts off, Quigley walking slowly, and Leonard walks beside them. When they reach the fence, Jim does exactly what he’d said and turns (though Quigley would have turned anyway).

“Nice job.” They make a full circle before Leonard helps Jim down back at the stepstool. 

“That was pretty fun. Thanks.” Jim’s sweating, but he’s smiling, and Leonard smiles too.

“You’re not done yet, we’ll have you ridin’ with me and Jo before we leave.” He nods in the direction of the house. “You can head back, I’ll untack Quigley.”

“What about basketball? You’re not trying to get out of losing to me, are you?” He grins, and Leonard shakes his head.

“Go look in the garage, you’ll probably have to find the air pump and inflate the ball. I’ll be there when I’m done.” Jim jogs toward the garage, and Leonard takes care of Quigley.

~~~~~~~

“Alright, kid. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” They’ve changed into shorts, and Joanna is their referee. Leonard watches Jim, who looks entirely too confident.

“Talk while you can, old man.” Joanna giggles and steps in between them with the ball.

“Ready?” She bounces on her toes. They both nod, and she throws the ball up in the air and steps back quickly as they both jump for it. Jim gets hold of it first and takes off, and the game starts.

Jim’s good, but Leonard still remembers all that practicing he’d done when he was young. That was a long time ago, he realizes as he missteps on a layup and misses the basket.

Jim laughs and snatches the rebound, and Leonard just shakes his head.

They play until it starts getting dark, and Caroline calls them in for dinner.

“But shower first, boys, you stink.” She wipes her hands on her apron and heads back to the kitchen to finish up.

“You're lucky we stopped before I could make that three pointer.” Leonard grumbles as they walk in.

“Aw, somebody’s a sore loser.” Jim grins and Leonard just stares at the way the corners of his eyes crinkle.

~~~~~~~

Leonard lets Jim shower first, since he's the guest. When he gets done with his own shower, he finds Jim in the kitchen, towel slung around his neck and hair still wet.

“Just a taste?” He reaches for the spoon sitting on its spoon rest, and Caroline smacks his hand gently.

“No tasting, you wait ‘til dinner.” Joanna smirks as she steals a cookie from the jar behind Caroline’s back.

Jim looks positively indignant.

“Did you see that? She's taking a cookie!” He points, but Caroline doesn't look. “You're not gonna do anything?”

“Of course not. She's my granddaughter, it's my job to spoil her.” Jo sticks her tongue out at Jim and goes to sit down at the table.

Leonard shakes his head and goes to stand next to Jim.

“Need any help?” Caroline shakes her head.

“I’m almost done, Len. But you can take your sneaky friend here and set the table.” Jim mock-pouts.

“Bones, your family is conspiring against me.” 

“I’m not surprised, you're worse than Joanna. Now grab some forks and let's go.”

~~~~~~~

They set the table and sit down for dinner, which is just as good as the other meals they've had with Caroline.

“So, Jim.” She smiles at him. “How did you like the horses?”

“Riding seems pretty complicated. I’ve never done anything like it before.” He glances at Leonard, smiling. “But it was fun.”

Caroline watches them, still smiling, and raises an eyebrow.

“I’m sure.” 

~~~~~~~

Jim relaxes in bed for a minute before turning off the lamp on the bedside table. He's certainly tired after today, but it's been more fun than he's had in awhile.

Caroline treats him like family, and he's not used to that, but it's really nice. He's glad he got to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a little heavier with some discussion of dead fathers, so fair warning.

Jim gets to sleep in the next morning. He wakes up on his own, with no kids or dogs in his room. He heads down the hall to look for Leonard, but he’s not in his room. The kitchen is empty when he checks it, and he almost starts to worry before he finds Caroline out on the porch with a glass of tea.

“Good morning, Jim.” She smiles knowingly when he glances around. “Looking for Len? He’s down in the pasture with Milky Way.”

He looks out from the porch, and he can see Leonard on the horse, circling the pasture. Jim hadn’t really understood what riding was supposed to look like just from what Leonard had taught him, but he can see now that he’d learned hardly anything. Leonard moves differently, shifting his hips and barely using the reins at all. It's amazing to watch, and Jim moves to lean against the porch railing as he stares.

Unfortunately, since he's so busy staring, he misses the railing entirely and falls face first off the porch, landing in the yard with a thud.

Caroline stands up and comes to look down at him, sighing.

“You've got it bad, honey.” 

~~~~~~~

Jim cleans himself up in the living room while Caroline pours him a glass of tea. She sets it down on the coffee table in front of him and hands him a cookie. 

“Do you want to see Len’s baby pictures?” She smiles conspiratorially.

“Definitely! Was he a grumpy baby? Or is that a recent development?” He’s imagining a tiny Leonard scowling like he does now, and it's hilarious.

“Oh, you’ll see.” She leaves the room and returns with a thick scrapbook, which she sets down on the table before sitting next to Jim.

“This one is is just the baby book, but I can get more when we're done with it.” She pulls it into her lap and opens the cover to reveal the first page, with Leonard’s birth announcement.

The pages after are full of pictures of baby Leonard, and handwritten descriptions of things like his first word (“dada”), first steps, and favorite toy (a stuffed dog he called Doctor Doggy).

Leonard comes in to the sound of laughter in the living room, and is immediately suspicious. He follows the noise to find his mother and his...whatever Jim was (friend? tenant? something else entirely?) sitting on the couch giggling over what looked like his baby book.

“-and he made such a grumpy face, that goose ran away!” Caroline finishes a story he knows too well, pointing at a picture of five year old Leonard scowling, and he shakes his head.

“See? I told you she’d get those pictures out the second you let her.” Jim looks at him when he speaks, still laughing.

“I was right! You were a grumpy kid. I can’t believe you scared a goose away just by looking at it!” Leonard rolls his eyes.

“If only it’d work on you.” Jim just grins.

“Sorry, you’re never getting rid of me.” And Leonard’s heart jumps a little, because by now he doesn’t want to. Caroline gives him a knowing look as she closes the book and stands up.

“You’re on your own for lunch, boys. Len, would you mind grilling for dinner?” He shakes his head, and she smiles and takes the baby book back to her room, leaving him alone with Jim.

“You mom’s really sweet.” Jim says after a moment of silence. “She told me a lot. I, uh...didn’t know about your dad.”

“I don’t talk about him much. How much did she tell you?” 

“Just that he got sick and didn’t make it.” Leonard sighs heavily and sits down on the couch next to Jim. He doesn’t say anything, deciding how much he wants to share, but Jim breaks the silence again.

“I know it’s not the same, but I do kind of know how you feel.” Leonard looks up at him, and he continues. “My dad died when I was a baby.”

“Then you never knew him?”

“No, but my mom used to tell me about him. He was a good man.”

“Mine too.” Leonard leans back into the couch. “I was in med school when he got sick. I spent all my time either with him or researching his condition. I couldn’t do anything for him. They found a cure three months after he died.”

“Bones.” Jim puts a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not your fault.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you’d been there, kid.” He knows what he did. Jim takes his hand away and sits back.

“My dad was in a car accident the day I was born. He was on his way to the hospital to see his newborn son, and he ran a red light. Is that my fault?” Jim’s got a weird look in his eyes,but Leonard answers.

“Of course not, you-”

“And your dad wasn’t your fault.” Jim cuts him off. Leonard doesn’t like seeing him look sad, and he doesn’t want to argue, so he agrees.

“Alright.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Things lighten up a little after that, and eventually Bones gets up to go start the steaks for dinner. Jim hops up with him.

“Need any help?” Leonard isn’t about to say no, so he nods in the direction of the kitchen.

“I’ll get the fire started, you can go grab the steaks. They should be on the counter.” 

When Jim gets outside with the steaks, Leonard’s got the fire started, but more importantly, he’s taken off his shirt, leaving just the white muscle tank that was underneath. Jim decides immediately that those shirts are accurately named.

He realizes he’s staring, and clears his throat.

“Uh, here’s your steak.” Leonard turns and takes the plate from him.

“Thanks. Don’t think I asked last time, but how do you like yours?” It takes a little longer than usual for Jim’s brain to process that, occupied as it is with Leonard’s arms (and what he wishes they’d do).

“Whatever you want. I mean-whatever’s easiest.” Leonard raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment.

“Guess you’ll have to settle for well done, then.” Leonard jokes.

‘Do me!’ Jim’s brain says.

“Yes.” Jim says, liking that idea, before remembering they’re talking about steak. ‘I-I mean, if that’s-sure.”

Leonard laughs a little at Jim’s sudden inability to string coherent sentences together. He runs a hand through his hair to push his bangs back, and Jim practically swoons.

“If that’s all you need, I’ll go back inside and see if Caroline needs any help with the mashed potatoes.” He needs to leave before he makes an even bigger fool of himself.

“Alright, I’ll be in before long.” He nods and turns back to the grill, and Jim watches him over his shoulder as he walks away. And of course, because he isn’t watching where he’s going, he walks straight into the side of the house, missing the door entirely.

Caroline raises an eyebrow at him through the window (clearly Leonard’s sass came from her), and he waves sheepishly.

She shakes her head when he comes in, but hands him a bowl or something to mix.

“Are you going to tell him, or do I have to watch you walk around lost as last year’s Easter eggs?”

“Tell him what? What happened to the Easter eggs?” She wipes her hands on a dish towel and sets them on his shoulders.

“It’s a sayin’, sweetheart. Don’t try to change the subject.” She’s clearly not letting him out of this one. “I like you, Jim. And I think you’re good for Len, but my son, bless his heart, is just as much of a fool as you. Only difference is he hides it better. You’re gonna have to tell him.”

“But what if doesn’t want me to live with him anymore?” He doesn’t want to go back to sleeping in the park.

“Len’s told me about how he found you. He won’t throw you out.”

“But what if-” Caroline cuts him off.

“If anything happens you’re welcome to stay here, alright? But I know my son, and he likes you.”

“God, I hope so.” She takes her hands off his shoulders and tosse the dish towel at him.

“Now dry those dishes, please.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leonard comes in with the steaks, and Jim can’t stop thinking about what Caroline said all through dinner. He lays in bed that night, still thinking.

‘When she said he likes me, did she mean as a friend, or-? Has he said something to her?’ And on into the night until finally he rolls over and goes to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as usual to everyone who reads/leaves kudos/reviews, I love seeing what y'all think

Leonard is out riding again when Jim wakes up the next morning, and he stands on the porch and sighs as he watches. ‘Maybe I should tell him.’

He heads inside before Leonard comes back so he won’t be caught staring. He’s sitting in the living room when the kitchen door opens, signalling Leonard's entrance. He can’t make out Leonard and Caroline’s conversation from here, but he certainly hears when she raises her voice.

“Leonard Horatio McCoy, you get your hands outta those biscuits this second! No snacking.” Jim snickers to himself as Leonard is ushered out of the kitchen.

“So, Horatio?” He says, smirking when Caroline returns to her domain.

“Oh, shut up. It’s a family name.”

“No, I get it. My middle name’s Tiberius.” Leonard sits down next to him, scoffing.

“And you thought mine was weird.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim is restless all day, overthinking every word Leonard has said to him since they met. Surely there’s been something he missed, if Leonard really does like him. Right?

He feels trapped with his thoughts just sitting in the house all day, and by evening he has to get outside. He lays on the driveway and just looks up at the stars. They’ve always been there, even when he was alone in an alley or on a park bench, and looking up like this always makes him feel better.

He didn’t tell anyone he was going out, so he’s surprised when Leonard throws a blanket at him, standing above him with one eyebrow raised.

“At least lay on that.” He sits down next to Jim and helps him spread it out. When they’re laying side by side on the blanket, he finally looks up.

“What are we lookin’ at?”

“The stars.” Jim shrugs.

“Thanks, genius. I meant more specifically. What’d you come out here to see?"

“Nothing in particular, I just like looking. And there’s less light pollution out here.” He glances over at Leonard before pointing at the sky.

“Here, look over there. See those three stars in a line? The bright one in the middle is Altair. And if you look farther to either side, those are the tips of Aquila’s wings. He’s an eagle. See, there’s his head.” He looks at Bones again, suddenly worried he’s boring him.

“I don’t know how that looks like an eagle, but alright.” He’s smiling, and Jim takes that to mean he can keep talking.

“You have no imagination, Bones. Try another one.” He scoots a little closer to Leonard so he can point better. “Over there, that’s Cygnus.”

“It just looks like a cross.” Jim shakes his head.

“Well, it’s also called the northern cross, but it’s a swan.” He looks at it and sighs. “That star in the tail is 1800 light years away. It could have gone supernova before we were born, and we wouldn’t even know.”

“Not to ruin the mood, but that’s kinda terrifying.” Jim looks at him again.

“Why?”

“Because everything’s just...out there, doing whatever it does, and we have no idea. Everything up there could kill us instantly, and we’re still sending people up there. I don’t even wanna think about it.” He shakes his head, and Jim turns on his side to face him.

“C’mon, it’s cool! I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut.”

“Not me, I’m staying here on the ground where it’s safe.” Jim rolls his eyes and lays back down next to him.

“But think about all the amazing discoveries we could make out there. New worlds, new life, maybe even new civilizations, once we have interstellar travel.” Leonard looks over at Jim, watching him look longingly at the stars.

“Sounds like you know a lot about this stuff.”

“I guess. I hang out-or, I used to hang out at libraries a lot, especially when it was cold or rainy. I probably read the whole physics section at the one in your town before you found me.” He’s a little embarrassed, and he feels like he doesn’t know very much at all. The books in the library aren’t exactly cutting edge.

“Have you thought about taking that interest further? I hear Yorktown College has a good physics department.” Jim just stares at him for a minute.

“I know you’re an old man and your college days were a long time ago, but I’m sure you remember that school costs money.” He tries to hide behind a weak jab at Leonard’s age, but he never likes thinking about what he can’t have.

“Six years, Jim. I’m six years older than you.” Leonard grumps, and Jim thinks it’s working, until he rolls his eyes and keeps talking. “There’s plenty of scholarships out there, and I’m sure you’d qualify for financial aid. It’s not impos-”

“Bones.” Jim cuts him off quietly. “Just leave it.”

“Alright, kid.”

~~~~~~~~~~

They’re both unusually quiet when they finally head inside for bed, and although Jim didn’t exactly plan on thinking about college, it’s distracted him from worrying about his crush on Leonard. He’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Caroline notices at breakfast the next morning that something’s off. Probably because Jim absentmindedly tries to eat his pancakes with a spoon. But hey, maybe it’s just her mom powers.

“Len, would you be a dear and do the dishes for me?” She looks at Jim, who is now staring at his half empty (half full?) glass of milk. “I think Jim is finished too.”

Leonard takes his plate, and he mumbles something that could’ve been thank you. When he’s gone, Caroline gently takes the glass from his hand and sets it down next to her, getting his attention.

“Now, what’s got you all mopey? Did you talk to Len?”

“Well...yes, but not about...that.” He says, not wanting to say it out loud in case Leonard overheard. “He thinks I should go to college.”

“And why shouldn’t you? You seem like a bright boy.”

“Because I’m freeloading in your son’s house, I can’t afford it.” He shakes his head. “Did he tell you to do this?”

“No, I’m just a concerned mother. Even if I’m not yours.” She smiles at him. “Yet.”

“He’s gonna hear you!” Jim feels himself blush, but she just keeps smiling and shakes her head.

“Well, he ain’t hearin’ it from you. But you should think about what he said about college.” She stands up and takes his glass to the kitchen, leaving him to wonder if maybe he really should try this. He’s just afraid that when the whole college thing doesn’t work out, he’ll have gotten his hopes up enough to watch them crash down.

~~~~~~~~~~

He doesn’t manage to tell Leonard about his feelings before they leave, but Caroline sends him off with a knowing look. Jo falls asleep on the drive home, and he almost tells him right then and there.

“Uh, there’s-there’s something I wanted to say.” He starts awkwardly, not sure how exactly to do this.

“Yeah?”

“Well...I, uh. I-thanks for bringing me to your mom’s.” He fails at the last second and changes the subject. “It was really nice.” 

“I’m glad you came.” He smiles at Jim all soft, and Jim wonders again what he’d say if he had actually confessed just now.


	6. Chapter 6

Leonard doesn’t drop the college thing, as much as Jim wishes he would. He talks about financial aid at breakfast, tells Jim about admission requirements when they meet up for lunch, and explains test scores while he cooks dinner. Jim keeps trying to tell him he’s not interested, but he still throws out one more fact or statistic. 

He can’t get it off his mind, even at work, and he’s distracted enough that Scotty sits him down in the back room to ask what’s wrong. He sighs and explains the situation.

“Hm.” Scotty sits back when he’s done. “Well, lad, he does have a point. You could do it. I got a fair bit o’ financial aid in college myself.”

“You went to college?”

“Went? I have a master’s in mechanical engineering.” Jim’s mouth hangs open.

“Uh, no offense, but why do you work here?” Scotty laughs.

“None taken. I worked for a big auto company for a few years after graduation, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I quit and bought this place, and now I have time to work on my own projects. Just you wait, Jim, one of these days NASA will be begging me to come work for them.”

“You want to work for NASA?” Jim sits forward, interested. “That’s what I want to do. Well, not in engineering, I’d be an astrophysicist, but it’s been my dream to work for NASA since I was a kid.”

“That’s exactly why you should take Leonard’s advice and go to college. How else will we work together when NASA hires me for my faster than light engine?”

“You invented faster than light travel?” Jim jumps up from his chair in his excitement, and Scotty shakes his head.

“Well, not yet, but I’m working on it.” He waves at the cluttered work table piled high with notebooks, papers, and spare parts “Anyway, let me know if you need any help with the college process. Though it sounds like Leonard’s got it covered.”

“Thanks, Scotty.” Jim’s starting to feel like maybe he should do this after all. It’s an irrational hope, but he’ll let it carry him. He hurries home when the shop closes, eager to actually talk about this with Leonard.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Bones!” He calls out as he closes the door behind him. There’s no answer, so he tries again. “Bones?”

He almost thinks Leonard’s gone out, but as he passes through the living room, a noise from the couch catches his attention. Leonard’s slumped over like he fell asleep without meaning to, and there’s a pile of papers on the floor where they fell.

Jim smiles, knowing how tired Leonard is after a hard shift at the hospital, and goes to pick up the papers. He doesn’t intend to read them, but the titles catch his eye as he stacks them. They’re all full of scholarship information and financial aid checklists, and Leonard’s handwriting scribbled in the margins.

Jim’s floored, honestly. For all Leonard’s talking about it, he’s still amazed that anyone would go to all that trouble for him. He sits there on the floor for a moment, trying to process that. He’d been seriously considering it after his talk with Scotty, but seeing how much work Leonard’s been doing, he has to at least try to make college work.

He sets the papers on the coffee table and covers Leonard with a blanket, whispering quietly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t take this seriously before.”

~~~~~~~~~~

They talk about college over dinner once Leonard’s awake. Leonard shows Jim a page about tours on Yorktown’s website, and together they pick a date to go visit. Jim insists on making the reservation himself, knowing Leonard’s done enough for him already. 

The tour’s a week away, and Jim’s restless the whole time. He has no idea what to expect, but Leonard tells him about the tours he did when he was trying to choose a college, and that helps calm his nerves.

When the day finally comes, Jim’s practically vibrating with excitement the whole way to Yorktown. He nearly falls in his hurry to get out of the truck when they’re parked. Leonard puts a hand on his shoulder as they walk in, but Jim’s not sure if it’s supposed to be comforting him or holding him in one place.

They have to wait in the lobby, and Jim grabs every brochure and pamphlet they have, stuffing them in Leonard’s bag.

“Y’know, you could have brought your own bag.” Leonard points out, but he’s holding his bag open to help Jim shove a campus magazine into it, so Jim just grins and shrugs.

“Yeah, but you love me enough to let me use yours.” He’s joking, but the way Leonard looks at him makes him pause.

“Yeah, I do.” Jim just about has a heart attack right then and there, but Leonard just pushes the magazine down and tries to close his bag again. “You’re lucky I don’t make you carry it, now that it’s full of your stuff.”

He doesn’t have time to think about that weird interaction much, because their tour guide arrives and starts a welcome speech. He has a mess of curly hair and a Russian accent. He also looks like he should still be in high school. Leonard leans over to whisper in his ear.

“Is it just me, or are college kids getting younger and younger these days?”

“No, you’re just getting old.” Leonard elbows him as he stands up to follow the tour guide out of the building. Jim tugs gently on Leonard’s sleeve as he makes his way to the front of the group, and Leonard takes the hint and follows him. There’s another member of their tour group talking to the guide already.

“Your name’s Pavel, right?” The kid nods. “I’m Hikaru. So, what’s your major?”

“Theoretical physics!” He’s clearly enthusiastic about it. “Yorktown has a wery good physics department, it’s why I chose to come here. What do you want to major in?”

“Botany. I hear you’ve got a nice greenhouse on campus.”

“Da, I have not been there myself, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful. They have a wide range of plants.” Hikaru looked pleased. Pavel turned to look in Jim and Leonard’s direction.

“What about you?” 

“Astrophysics.” Jim says, and Pavel smiles.

“Maybe you’ll be in some of my classes! We’ll see each other around, I’m sure.”

“I’ll look forward to it.” He smiles back and offers his hand. “I’m Jim, by the way.”

Pavel shakes his hand before nodding at Leonard.

“Is your boyfriend applying too?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Jim says, at the same time that Leonard says “We’re not dating.”

Pavel blinks at them in confusion before scrambling to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I just assumed- I saw you two sitting so close and whispering before the tour started. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s an easy mistake.” He is kind of clingy, now that he’s thinking about it. Maybe he’s annoying Leonard, and Leonard’s just too nice to tell him. Now’s not the time for negative thoughts, though, so he pushes them away to focus on the tour.

Pavel leads them around to all the major sights on campus before meeting up with a few other students in a central open area.

“We’re going to split up now, so that everyone has the chance to explore the facilities related to their major.”

When the group is split up, physical sciences majors are the ones to stay with Pavel. He leads them to one of the science buildings, where a lot of the classes are held.

“We’ll stay here for ten minutes, so you can look around, get a drink, or sit down and take a break. Meet back here before we leave, please!” Leonard sits down on a nearby bench while Jim wanders around. It’s a nice place, and there are lots of places that look good for studying.

“First tour?” Someone behind him says as he’s looking up at the constellations made of LEDs on the ceiling, and he jumps.

“Uh, yeah.” He turns around to face the man who’d spoken. He’s sitting on a couch watching the tour group.

“What do you think so far?” The stranger says, and Jim wonders if he works here. He looks old enough, like he’s at least in his fifties. 

“It’s a great school. I really hope I can afford to come here.” He says sincerely.

“What’s your major, son?” The man asks kindly.

“Astrophysics.” He almost feels like he should’ve added ‘sir,’ but it’s too late now. The man nods in approval.

“You’ll be in my department. I’m one of the advisors for science majors.” Definitely should’ve said sir.

“I’m Jim Kirk.” He offers his hand, and the man stands and shakes it firmly.

“Christopher Pike. I’ll keep an eye out for your application.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I can-” Pike cuts him off.

“You want this?”

“More than anything. But I don’t-”

“Then you can do it. I expect to see you at freshman orientation.” He walks away before Jim can respond. Leonard gets up from his bench and walks over to Jim.

“Who was that?”

“An advisor. I think he just dared me to get in.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but I think it makes up for that in content. ;)

Jim creates his account on the application website as soon as they get home. Leonard sits next to him and writes out a checklist of what he’ll need. Jim fills out the personal and academic information sections, and scribbles down his three essay prompt choices in Leonard’s notebook. When he’s saved his progress so far, Leonard opens a new tab in the laptop’s browser and brings up the page for the FAFSA.

“I don’t suppose there’s a convenient one click option for ‘I’m a homeless mechanic?’” Jim jokes, and Bones smacks his arm lightly.

“You’re not homeless, you live here.” He looks back at the laptop. “But no, I’m afraid there’s no quick and easy way to do this.”

It turns out to be kind of depressing for Jim to sum up what little he has for the government. It reminds him how completely dependant on Leonard he is. He’s not sure how to feel about putting this address down under ‘permanent mailing address.’ He’d love for this to be permanent, but he still hasn’t told Leonard how he feels.

What if Leonard rejects him? Surely he’d have to leave. That’s the last thing he wants.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim manages to write his essay surprisingly fast, but he doesn't let Leonard proofread it for him.

 

“Spellcheck is good enough.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I am.” He copies it into the box and moves on before Leonard can see it.

Together they complete and submit the application, the FAFSA, and a few scholarship applications. It’s only June, and Jo’s just gotten out of school for the summer, but Yorktown has rolling admissions, so it’s better to apply now. Jim will know if he’s been accepted in about a month, and he knows now that the waiting is going to kill him.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Got you somethin’.” Leonard’s waiting in the living room with a gift bag when Jim comes home from work about a week after they’ve submitted the application.

“You shouldn’t have-” He starts, feeling bad about taking so much for free.

“Hush, yes I should have. It’s my choice.” Leonard hands him the bag, smiling.

“Open it.” Jim does. It’s a leather jacket, black and gently worn. He loves it immediately.

“You like it? I figured you’ll need a good jacket when it starts getting cold and you have to walk between classes.” 

“I love it.” And you, he thinks. “You’re really that sure I’ll get in?”

“I am.” And he says it so sincerely that Jim’s throat tightens a little.

“Thank you. For the jacket, and for believing in me.” He slides the jacket on, and it’s a perfect fit. Just like the way Leonard fits into Jim’s life like no one has before. He wants to throw his arms around Leonard right now, but he holds himself back. Even more than the house, Leonard’s become home to Jim. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After a few weeks, Jim starts getting the mail himself every day, as soon as it’s delivered. He’s never sure whether he’s disappointed or relieved when there’s nothing in the mail every time.

Until there is. The envelope is fairly large, and it’s got the school’s seal printed on it in a very official (and somewhat intimidating) way. Jim walks back to the driveway, just staring at it.

Finally, he sets the other mail down on the hood of the truck and opens his envelope, careful not to tear the flap.

‘Dear James Kirk,’ The letter inside starts. ‘Thank you for your application to Yorktown College-’

He skips ahead, wanting to get to the important part. There!

‘It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted to-’ He stops reading and runs back to the door of the house, leaving the mail on the hood of the truck where it is.

“Bones!” He has his key, but he’s too excited to remember to unlock the door, so he knocks loudly and continuously until Leonard comes to open the door.

“What-” He doesn’t get to question the commotion because Jim nearly tackles him in a hug, and before either of them really realize, Jim is kissing him.

Which is really nice, right up until Jim pulls away and starts panicking.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-I just-I really like you and thank you for helping me do this, and I-I can leave if you’re upset-” He’s slowly backing up as he speaks.

“Jim.”

“You’ve done so much for me and I just go and fuck it up-”

“Jim!” The second time gets his attention, and Leonard smiles gently. “I’m not kicking you out, why would I want you to leave? I like you too, you idiot. I don’t know you haven’t noticed. I’m pretty sure even my mom knows.”

“She might’ve said something about it.” Jim’s smiling too now. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want you to feel pressured or anything, I know you’re always trying to pay me back for helping you.” He nods at Jim’s (now slightly crumpled) acceptance letter. “Is that it? You made it?”

“Yeah, I really did it.” Jim sounds like he’s in disbelief, and Leonard chuckles.

“I’m so proud of you.” He shifts forward onto his toes a little. “Do you think we could try that kiss again, now that I have some warning?”

“I-yes.” Jim comes back to Leonard from where he’d ended up a few steps away, and when he leans in, Leonard wraps his arms around him and pulls him close. The kiss is even better than the first one, since they’re both actually participating this time. One of Leonard’s hands slides up to the back of Jim’s neck, and Jim lets his arms rest around Leonard’s waist.

When they finally pull away for air, they stay wrapped in each other’s arms, just enjoying the moment.

“Adults are gross.” Joanna says from behind them, making them both jump. “Do I have to call you dad now?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim starts classes, and he has something to tell Bones about

Leonard’s like a worried mother dropping Jim off on campus for his first day of classes. He’s packed him lunch and everything. They’re sitting in the truck in a parking lot, Jim lingering because Leonard won’t say goodbye.

“You’re sure you have everything?” He says for what Jim’s sure is at least the fifth time.

“Yes, _Mom_. You do know I’m a grown man, right?” He rolls his eyes.

“I know, darlin. I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be.” Jim shakes his head fondly. “I’ll be fine, and you’re gonna be late for work if you don’t get going.”

“Alright, alright.” Leonard starts the car, and Jim leans over to kiss him goodbye.

“See you later, babe!” He says as he shuts the door behind him. They’ve made the jump from hopeless pining to sappy boyfriends well. Enough so that Leonard’s coworkers at the hospital have started gossiping about how much happier he’s been lately.

Jim, meanwhile, has a great first day. He’s run into some of the people he met on the campus tour, and even sees Pavel in his Physics for Science Majors class. Hikaru talks him into joining the study group he and his boyfriend Ben run, and he befriends a girl named Gaila in a coffee shop on campus. All in all, not a bad first day.

He’s excited to tell Leonard about it when he gets home, and Leonard’s happy for him, of course. But Jim has a better idea than Leonard’s quiet night in.

“Remember that karaoke place we went to when I started working for Scotty? Let’s go back there.” He sits down right on Leonard’s lap, blocking his view of the book he had been reading. “It’ll be celebratory, like last time. But now we’re celebrating my first day of college.”

Leonard considers it.

“If you’ll get your pretty face out of my way and let me finish this chapter, then I’ll go.”

~~~~~~~~~~

They hold hands walking in, and Jim is all but dragging Leonard in his excitement. As soon as they’re in the room he grabs the song binder and holds it out to Leonard.

“You pick first this time.” Leonard lets go of Jim’s hand to flip through the binder, giving Jim a number to punch in and picking up a microphone. Jim just smiles fondly when he realizes Leonard’s chosen a country song, just like last time.

He loves watching Leonard when he’s actually having fun, his smile is one of the most beautiful things Jim has even seen. But instead of telling him that, he waits for the song to end, smirking.

“ _R_ _ock me momma like a wagon wheel, rock me momma any way you feel_.” Leonard finishes, and Jim doesn’t even wait for the outro music to fade.

“Is that a proposition, Bones?” Leonard just rolls his eyes and hands him the mic.

“Shut up and sing.”

“Well, I can’t do both.” Leonard sighs and sits down on the couch, choosing not to answer that. Jim, predictably, chooses Rocket Man as his first song.

“You don’t think you’ve sung this one enough in the shower? You know I can hear you when you do that, right?” Leonard raises and eyebrow at him.

“It’s gay culture, Bones. And I’ll have you know I want you to hear me. I’m performing.” He bows dramatically. “No need to thank me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t.” Jim laughs and puts in the number for the song. It’s four and a half minutes of dramatic gestures and general Jim silliness, and Leonard wouldn’t change a thing.

But he changes the mood completely with his next song choice.

“ _I found a love for me. Darlin’ just dive right in, follow my lead_.” He sings softly, looking at Jim. Jim blushes increasingly red as Leonard goes on, but he’s smiling. He stands up and wraps his arms around Leonard towards the end of the song, and Leonard sets the mic down and just sings to Jim as he holds him. “ _I don’t deserve this, you look perfect tonight_.”

“You sappy romantic.” Jim’s teared up a little, and he buries his face in Leonard’s shoulder for a long minute. “How am I supposed to follow that?” He asks jokingly when he pulls back.

“Darlin’, you don’t have to-”

“No, let me.” He checks the song binder quickly and hides the keypad as he presses the number for his song. When it starts, Leonard recognizes it in seconds. _Tennessee Whiskey_ , of all things. Jim grins at him and starts singing in what is definitely the worst southern accent Leonard’s ever heard. But it’s still sweet, and he can’t help smiling.

Jim comes back to the couch to hold his hand while he sings, and Leonard wouldn’t mind living in this moment forever. But all moments end, and soon enough the song fades out. Leonard pulls Jim down onto the couch and into a kiss.

“Jim,” He says when they pull back. “You know I love you, but please never do that awful accent again.” Jim just laughs.

“No promises.”

They spend the rest of their time singing love songs to each other.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim’s about a week into his first semester when he runs into Pike after his classes. He waves, and Pike calls him over.

“You made it.” He seems pleased.

“Well, you pretty much dared me to.” Jim shrugs.

“My husband owes me twenty dollars. He bet me I’d never see you again.”

“Why were you so sure I’d get in?” Jim asks, genuinely curious. It’s not like Pike knew him before they met briefly during his tour of campus.

“The look on your face when I saw you.” He explains. “I could tell this meant a lot to you, and you told me you wanted to be here.”

Jim’s a little dumbstruck by a near stranger having such faith in him.

“Uh, thank you. Sir.” He adds hastily, remembering their last encounter when he had forgotten.

“No need to thank me, I didn’t do anything. This was all you. I saw your application, and your test scores speak for themselves.” He smiles. “I enjoyed your essay, by the way.”

“My-oh. Thank you.” Jim had completely forgotten about the essay he’d written for his application. Speaking of which-

“I just remembered something I need to do, if you’ll excuse me.” Pike nods and Jim heads outside to the parking lot where Leonard picks him up. He doesn’t see the truck, so he calls Leonard.

“Are you here yet?”

“I’m on the way, what’s wrong?” Leonard sounds worried.

“No, No, nothing’s wrong. I have something I want to tell you when you get here.”

“Alright, I’m about five minutes away. I’ll see you soon, darlin’.” They hang up, and Jim waits impatiently until he spots Leonard’s truck. He jumps in as soon as it stops.

“Now what was it you were gonna tell me?” Leonard turns a little in his seat to look at Jim.

“Okay, do you remember when I wouldn’t let you proofread my essay for the college application?” He’s sitting fully sideways, facing Leonard, since he isn’t wearing a seatbelt.

“I do. Why?”

“I didn’t want you to read it because it was about you.” He confesses. Leonard blinks in surprise.

“It’s-what?”

“The prompt was to write about someone who’s influenced your life, and I, uh-I chose you.” He blushes a little, but doesn’t look away. Leonard just stares for a minute before beaming at Jim.

“I’m touched, darlin.” He leans over to hug Jim, but Jim isn’t finished.

“You’ve helped me so much, and I don’t know where I’d be without you. I’d probably have moved on to some other town, and I’d still be sleeping on park benches.”

“I’ve been happy to help, Jim. You know I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	9. Chapter 9

Three years on, and Jim’s graduating. He’s packed a lot of work into every semester, even taking summer classes, and it’s paid off. Leonard’s almost more proud than Jim himself, and he’s been fretting all morning about the graduation ceremony today. They’re in the parking lot, and he keeps finding reasons to keep Jim from going to get in line with his classmates: his tie needs straightening, his cap is crooked, does he remember where to meet Leonard afterwards?

“Bones.” Jim grabs his hands, stopping his fussing. “I’m fine, I’m ready.”

“I know.” Leonard sighs fondly and squeezes Jim’s hands before letting go. “I’m proud of you, Jim. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jim smiles. “But you should go find your seats before it’s too crowded. I’ll see you and Jo when it’s over.”

“C’mon, Dad.” Joanna, who is practically grown at ten years old, grabs his hand and tugs gently. “Jim’s gonna be late.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll be waiting.” Leonard gives Jim a quick peck on the lips before heading off with Jo to find their seats. Jim watches them go before taking his place in the line of graduates. He passes Pavel near the front of the line on his way, and waves as he heads for the middle of the alphabetical line. The kid’s not even eighteen yet, but here he is graduating from college.

It feels like he waits for hours for the ceremony to start, but he knows his anticipation is making it seem longer. Finally, the class song starts playing, and the line begins moving as the students are lead to their seats. Time seems to slow down as they move from introductory remarks to the first students called to receive their diplomas. It speeds up again when they reach last names beginning with K, and Jim is hyperaware of how many people are between the girl on stage now and his name, having memorized that part of the program.

Finally, almost too soon- “James Kirk.”

He can hear Leonard and Joanna cheering for him distantly as he shakes hands with the principal and takes his diploma. The rest of the ceremony passes quickly, now that he isn’t waiting for his turn on stage, and soon enough everyone is tossing their caps in the air, and Jim starts to tear up. He did it.

He finds Leonard and Joanna in the crowd as everyone reunites with friends and family before leaving, and Leonard lifts him off the ground in a hug. When he puts him down, Jim can see that Leonard’s teary-eyed too. Joanna is the only one not crying now, and she rolls her eyes as she hugs Jim.

“C’mon, let’s go to dinner, I’m hungry.” Leonard and Jim wipe their eyes on the way back to the truck, and once they’ve made it out of the traffic of everyone leaving the graduation venue, they hold hands while Leonard drives to the restaurant they’d picked out. It’s a nicer place than their usual choices, but Leonard had insisted, and they’re all dressed up anyway.

They talk about everything from Jim’s career plans (he has the NASA jobs page bookmarked on his laptop) to Joanna’s end of the year science project (she’s testing the effects of music on plant growth) while they eat. Dessert is a rich chocolate cake for Joanna and Jim, and a slice of key lime pie for Leonard. About halfway through, Leonard puts his fork down and clears his throat.

“Jim, there’s something I want to say.” Joanna hides a smile behind another bite of cake as Leonard continues. “We’ve come a long way since you were just Diner Guy-”

“That’s what you were calling me?” Jim interrupts, smiling.

“Hey, Fry Man isn’t any better, so shut up.” He lets himself get sidetracked for a moment. “Anyway, a long way since the diner and the park. And I wouldn’t trade these past four years for anything. I love you, and you’ve really become part of the family. You’ve even got my mother asking when I’m gonna ‘get a move on’ and marry you.”

Jim laughs, and Leonard slips a hand into his pocket, rubbing the small velvety box to calm his nerves.

“So, as mad as she’s gonna be that she missed it…” He gets out of his seat and gets down on one knee in front of the table, pulling out the ring box. “Jim, will you marry me?”

Jim starts tearing up for the second time that day, launching himself out of his seat to hug Leonard.

“Yes.” He says. “Yes.”

Now Leonard is crying again too, set off by Jim’s tears, and Joanna is laughing at them as other customers in the restaurant clap. Eventually they make it back to their seats, and they hold hands under the table while they finish their desserts, both of them very aware of the feeling of the new ring on Jim’s finger.

~~~~~~~~~~

Caroline is just as happy as they are when they tell her they’re engaged, and as expected, she’s ready to help with the wedding planning. Joanna will be the ring bearer (she insists, she wants a more important job than flower girl). Jim chooses Pavel as his best man, and Leonard chooses his best friend from work, Christine Chapel, as his maid of honor. All their friends are invited, and after a lot of thought, Jim sends Pike an invitation too. After all, he’s part of the reason Jim is where he is now.

The day of the wedding is everything they’d hoped for. Pavel’s best man speech includes the story of him mistaking Leonard for Jim’s boyfriend when he’d first met the couple and they weren’t dating yet (“this is a testament to the power of Russian intuition” he says, laughing). Christine’s speech talks about how Leonard ‘wouldn’t shut up about this guy’ at work, making Jim grin.

Pike attends with his husband (Jim remembers that the two of them had bet on his admission to Yorktown) and Jim thanks him both for coming and for encouraging him. Leonard’s sisters fuss over him, and Caroline is teary-eyed at her ‘little baby’ finally getting married again. Her crying makes Leonard start crying, and Jim just smiles at his sap of a fiancé.

No wedding is ever truly perfect, because something will always be the wrong color, or out of place, or any number of things, but Jim and Leonard will both insist that theirs was until they’re old and gray. After all, what do those little things matter when they have each other “’til death do us part?”


End file.
